I'm a computer science graduate who would love to earn a few bucks with writing articles. I consider my English to be nearly perfect (I'm from Belgium but I read/speak English about 50 percent of the time) and I love writing. Since I'm just starting, the price-per-word will be quite low.
Being a newcomer is never a hindrance for you to receive good pay from clients. There are clients who are very much willing to work with anyone regardless of experience -- as long as you will deliver them quality services.
If you think you lack experience, there are so many ways to build your expertise online (eg, create and post blog articles on article sites). Eventually, this could become your online portfolio.
Secondly, clients are not the ones who decide how much pay you are supposed to get. You are the one who will quote. Although of course, there are so many important things to consider when quoting:
a) how much time is necessary to complete the project
b) how much effort you will be putting on that project (eg, research)
c) expenses (eg, your internet expense, telephone calls, printing materials)
Your quote can be per hour, per word, per article, per project. You can decide if want your compensation in hourly or fixed rate. (Personally, I prefer fixed rate.)
The hardest part of becoming a freelancer is quoting. There are clients who turn away immediately once they'll know you are expensive. But, you should master the "art of quoting." The important thing here is that you and your client will meet halfway (win-win situation).
To learn effective ways to quote and more, I highly recommend these books:
--- START & RUN A COPYWRITING BUSINESS by Steve Slaunwhite
--- START & RUN A PROFITABLE FREELANCE WRITING BUSINESS by Christine Adamec
I also highly recommend that you read resources about freelance writing here:
--- FreelanceWriting.com
--- AllFreelanceWriting.com (find the freelance calculator here)
If you want to start building your online portfolio, start here:
--- Hubpages.com
--- Squiddo.com
--- ArticlesBase.com
Or if you know some non-profit organization, you can volunteer your writing service to them, just so you could gain more experience and confidence.
To everyone: If you would like to write an e-book or looking for a good e-book reference, please PM me. Bundle for $20 PayPal, I can provide you the following:
1) Step-by-Step Illustrated Guide on How to Create an eBook 51 pg (PDF)
2) Free Marketing Tool 4 pg (PDF)
3) Sample eBook used for the illustration 25 pg (Word and PDF)
4) 30 Writing Tips for eBook Authors, Time Tested Writing Strategies 29 pg (PDF)
Please PM me if anyone is interested. Thanks.